Featured Advice

Careers rarely develop the way we plan them. Our career path often takes many twists and turns, with particular events, choices and people influencing our direction.

We asked Jason Ruane from Intel to give some advice for people considering this job:

Possibly useful qualities/interests:

A predisposition towards technical problems, such as puzzles or machinery. An interest in the nature of how things work, such as the desire to disassemble machinery/gadgetry to unlock its inner workings.

An inventive side; one who uses the parts of other gadgets, to make a new personalised gadget. Interested in high tech gear: gadgetry of all forms.

A capacity to learn processes for oneself e.g. seeing a puzzle solved and then repeating it.

Skills: Technical subjects such as Maths or electronics. Programming is very accessible to anyone with a basic home PC and some internet connection so try it out and see if you like it.

Values: If you value the solving of an intricate, convoluted problem, for it's own sake and find that rewarding, then any engineering job will come easily.

Education: Firm basis in Maths and the sciences. People are hired into engineering positions here from backgrounds such as science and computing primarily.

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Self Assessment

What are your interests?

Enterprising?

Enterprising people like situations that involve using resources for personal or corporate economic gain. Such people may have an opportunistic frame of mind, and are drawn to commerce, trade and making deals. Some pursue sales and marketing occupations. Many will eventually end up owning their own business, or in management roles in larger organisations. They tend to be very goal-oriented and work best when focused on a target. Some have an entrepreneurial inclination.

Media

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About

Every state needs to protect its citizens. In Ireland, national security, intelligence and law enforcement is the responsibility of the Irish police force - An Garda Síochána. There is also a large private security sector, providing protection for homes, businesses and large public events or bouncers for pubs.

number of security personal registered with the Private Security Authority

number of companies providing security services registered with the Private Security Authority

Labour Market Information

Approximately 58,800 persons (75% male) were employed in the Security, Defence & Law Enforcement sector, representing 2.7% of the national workforce.

Between 2012 and 2017, overall employment increased by 2,700 (1.0%) on average annually (compared to 3.1% nationally). The strongest rate of employment growth was observed for security guards (4.5%) during the period.

Excluding security guards, there was very little employment growth in these occupations over the five years examined and there was no evidence in the analysis of difficulties sourcing candidates.

In this Sector...

Law Enforcement

As a Garda you will face a demanding career, and the attributes selected for are very important to your day to day work. You will need to call on an understanding of team-work, excellent communication skills, a mind for problem-solving and the ability to resolve conflicts.

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The Defence Forces

The Irish Defence Forces are made up of the Permanent Defence Force and the Reserve Defence Force. The three branches of the Permanent Defence Force are the Army, the Air Corps and the Naval Service.

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The Prison Service

Working as a prison officer is a challenging role, in an often-difficult environment. You need to be physically fit person with a strong sense of integrity, team work and safety.

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Security

There are thousands of security professionals in Ireland, operating in many different job roles. These include security guards, bouncers, hotel doormen, alarm and camera installers, locksmiths and private investigators.

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Cybersecurity

Security professionals can now be found at most major organisations, not just technology companies. There are many specialist cybersecurity companies offering specific products or services that can enhance a company’s security profile.

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Career Opportunities with Irish

If you can speak Irish, then opportunities await you...

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Career Opportunities with a Foreign Language

Being able to speak a Foreign language opens new possibilities...

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Advice from Experts...

If you want to know more about working in the in the sector, hear what the experts have to say.